Manitoba Moose

Jannik Hansen is learning the hard way that it's difficult to stick in the NHL.

The Danish right-winger is back with the Manitoba Moose after being assigned to the AHL by the Vancouver Canucks for a two-week conditioning stint.

Despite playing 55 games with the big club last season, scoring six goals and adding 15 assists, Hansen's play has slipped enough that seasoning on the farm was needed.

The 23-year-old, who played the final three games of Manitoba's road trip over the weekend and picked up a pair of assists, is simply looking forward to playing again after getting into only four games with the Canucks in January.

Hansen's started inauspiciously when he broke his hand in a fight with Edmonton's Gilbert Brule during a pre-season contest in September. He returned to the Canucks in mid-November and had consistent playing time until Christmas.

After Pavol Demitra returned to the lineup, his ice time dwindled even more. Hansen said it's not one particular area that he needs to improve, either, so he will be busy during his time in Winnipeg.

"It's the whole package if I want to play," he said. "It's hard to come in and bump out the top four, five or six guys in the NHL, so you gotta be able to play a little bit of everything."

And does that include fighting?

"I don't know. There's no fighting in the playoffs. That's where it matters," he said. "But when push comes to shove you need to be prepared to do pretty much anything if you want to stay in the lineup."

BOYNTON AN OPTION?: Veteran NHL defenceman Nick Boynton cleared waivers Tuesday, and the Anaheim Ducks, according to the Orange County Register, are mulling what to do with him.

Since the Ducks assign players to the Moose, the 31-year-old coming to Manitoba is a possibility, but head coach Scott Arniel said he hadn't heard anything.

Nolan Baumgartner was scratched from Vancouver's game against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, so there's a chance he could be returned to Winnipeg.

That would be welcome news for the Moose. Arniel said Tuesday that blue-liner Mathieu Schneider will be out four to six weeks after knee surgery.

AROUND THE GLASS: Defenceman Taylor Ellington (foot) didn't practise Tuesday, but Arniel said he could be on the ice Wednesday ... Manitoba released right-winger Chad Painchaud from his pro tryout offer on Tuesday, returning him to the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings ... The Moose (24-22-4-1) host the San Antonio Rampage (20-19-3-5) on Friday and Saturday at MTS Centre ... The AHL will be raising money for earthquake relief in Haiti this weekend. Fans can contribute $5 this weekend by texting "REDCROSS" to 30333. The league's goal is to raise $500,000.